Invisible
by heybummerchapman
Summary: Piper Chapman is entering her senior year of High School with a whole new perspective. She has parted ways with the popular group, and is searching for a new group where she can finally feel at home. She might just find what she is looking for, and more. As many people on this site say, I am terrible at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone (if there is anyone reading this). So, I've written quite a few snippets of various different fanfics based on OITNB but this is my first time ever publishing anything. Not super sure if I like the direction of this one and I definitely don't like the title. I wrote a large portion of it quite a while ago and didn't really want to reread all of it because I'd probably just end up cringing and deleting it so I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. Anyway...if you do read this, please let me know what you think so I can decide whether or not to post more. I just picked a stopping point and posted a small part of what I already have written. Anyway, enough rambling. Here it goes:

Piper Chapman awoke at 6:00 AM on Wednesday August 15th; the first day of her senior year. She was beyond excited to be nearly finished at Greenwich Academy, but she was also a bit apprehensive. She had parted ways with her main group of friends toward the end of the last school year. The blonde had only agreed to join their group because she knew her parent would approve, but they were all really mean. It wasn't until the beginning of summer that Piper had decided she was tired of trying to do everything to please her parents. Her parents were never satisfied regardless of what she did, so she figured she would just stop trying so hard. At the age of 16, Piper decided she was going to live for herself instead of for her parents.

She climbed out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. She washed off her face before applying some light makeup. She decided to add a loose curl to her long blonde hair before heading back to her room to pick an outfit. She grabbed a plain black t-shirt and some light blue ripped jeans. After slipping into her outfit, it was almost 6:45. She grabbed two random socks and slung her backpack over one shoulder. She headed downstairs and slipped on her new pair of Docs. Piper figured she should grab something for breakfast and then she would just eat the school lunch.

When she entered the kitchen she found her mother standing at the sink, staring out the window. The older woman was peeking through the blinds and making comments about their neighbors house (Apparently they had chosen an "atrocious" new color for the exterior). It took Piper a moment to realize that her mother was not in fact talking to her, but rather, was on the phone. The younger blonde decided to just quickly grab a granola bar and a bottle of water and then head to school. She didn't want to be late on the first day. Her mother turned around when she heard Piper opening the cabinets and the fridge, but just continued her phone conversation, not acknowledging her daughters existence. Piper briefly wondered what it would be like to have a mom who liked to hug, or even simply told her to "have a good day". It felt so far away from anything she had ever known.

She made her way down the driveway to her new white mini cooper (her big 16th birthday gift) and was quickly on her way. _First day of senior year, here I come._

Greenwich academy looked exactly the same as it had the two previous years she had attended. Same large brick building, same arrogant teachers, and unfortunately the same fake ass students. Piper wasn't too proud to admit she was a bit scared. The blonde was starting senior year with no friends. In fact, she had essentially made enemies out of all of her old friends. There was no doubt that they would be out to get her now. She needed to find a new group to belong to, and fast. _No pressure._ It was now 7:15 and first period would begin in 5 minutes. The blonde quickly made her way to her first class of the day, history; her least favorite subject. The morning went fairly fast. The first day was always teachers going over syllabi for most of the class and sometimes starting a lecture or assigning reading. Her schedule was AP History, Literature, Speech, AP Calculus, Lunch (she unfortunately had the late lunch period), AP English, Study Hall, and AP Chemistry. By the time she got to Calculus, she was beyond ready for lunch. She was quite hungry and could only hope that there would be something halfway edible in the cafeteria.

Piper was so focused on how hungry she was that she hadn't even thought about how stressful the cafeteria would be. It was like starting high school all over again. The first day of her sophomore year she had wandered aimlessly until a table of slightly snooty (but popular) girls called her over. Today, she went through the line, opted for a salad and a water and then looked over all of the tables. She had no idea where she was going to go. Half of the tables were already full, and the other half were partially occupied by people that probably wouldn't get along with Piper or vice versa. She slowly walked through the rows of tables and was about to head to the library when a voice called out in her direction.

"Hey blondie, over here." She turned to find a wild-haired redhead waving her hand in a 'come here' motion. _She looks nice enough, and at least it'll spare me the embarrassment of eating alone outside of the cafeteria._

"Hey." Piper spoke up quietly as she sat down. "Thanks for the invite. I was afraid I'd have to eat alone today."

"You new here?" Before she could answer the question she spotted someone across the cafeteria that caught her eye. She was tall, long black hair with blue tips. She had on a cropped t-shirt that appeared to have a Van Halen emblem and dark jeans ripped at the knees that highlighted her incredible long legs. The lost look on her face reminded the blonde of how she must have looked mere seconds ago. Piper snapped out of her trance and met the other girls brown eyes again.

"Sorry. Nah, I've been at Greenwich for the past two years. I actually used to sit.." She looked over her shoulder, spotting her old friends "..over there." the blonde extended a her thumb in their direction.

"Well shit, a popular girl. No wonder I've never noticed you. I try to avoid eye contact."

"Right.." Piper said with a laugh. "I guess you could say ex-popular girl. In fact I'm pretty sure they all hate me now." She shrugged. The blonde looked back up in the direction of the gorgeous girl she had spotted earlier but she was nowhere to be found. _Damn, I could have invited her to join us._

"Ah well, being popular is overrated anyway. What did you do to make them so mad?"

"Nothing really, just refused to let them insult me any longer...I get enough of that at home. Just started saying what I wanted, wearing what I wanted, eating what I wanted. Plus Jessica called me a dyke soooo."

"Well shit. Wedge is a total cunt."

"I mean technically it's true so I can't get too mad. It's honestly for the best, at least she made me realize how toxic they are before it was too late."

"You mean..? You're gay?"

"Yeah." Piper decided to spare her the detailed rant about how sexuality is a spectrum. Plus it felt right- freeing even- to think of herself as gay.

"Damn. I would have never guessed, and I thought my Gaydar was pretty spot on."

"Ah, so you are gay too….?" The blonde couldn't help but smile. She didn't really know any gay people.

"Oh definitely." The other girl wiggled her eyebrows, causing Piper to let out a chuckle.

"Gotcha. I'm sorry, what is your name?"

"Nicky. Most of my friends call me Nichols. You?

"Piper. Piper Chapman." The blonde extended her right hand before she realized how dorky that was.

"Ah, a proper young lady." Nicky accepted her hand, shaking it slightly. A light blush raised on Piper's cheeks. "I totally get it, my mom is a major WASP."

"I think we're gonna get along great." As Nicky was saying this, three more people joined them at the table. A blonde with cornrows, a rather masculine woman with short dark hair and bright blue eyes, and a girl with curly black hair and bright red lips. They all seemed really nice and funny and introduced themselves to Piper. She learned their names were Trish, Carrie (who they all called "Boo" for reasons unbeknownst to Piper), and Lorna. Things were looking up already.

After lunch came AP English. Piper was pretty sure this would be her favorite class, so she was excited. She was one of the first people in there and chose to sit towards the middle of the classroom. She decided to pick up the first novel that was required for the class and start reading. Her nose was buried in the book until the bell rang. When she looked up, all the seats around her had been filled. One person in particular stood out. A few seats in front of her in the next row she spotted long black hair with blue tips. _Holy shit, it's her._

English went fairly quickly, and Piper spent the majority of the time staring at long black hair, beautiful broad shoulder, and pale slender hands that came into her view every so often. As a matter of fact, even after English, the girls unique features were on the blondes mind. If only she had gotten a better look at her face. She still didn't know exactly what the girl looked like up close, but she was sure it would be just as enchanting as the rest of her body. Perhaps she would see her tomorrow and invite her to eat lunch with her new group. She sat through study hall and AP chem, disappointed that the raven-haired woman did not appear in any of her other classes. By the end of the day, she was beyond ready to go home. She was exhausted, too bad she had to work tonight. She walked through the parking lot to her car, and headed home.

Piper burst through the front door after her first day as a senior, completely exhausted. It had been overwhelming to say the least. She walked through the foyer to find to mom in the kitchen, nearly in the same exact spot as this morning. This time, however, she was sat at the bar. She was drinking a martini. Piper could only assume it was to deal with her extremely stressful day of sitting around and not cleaning (the house was already spotless as usual) and potentially going to the salon. This thought cause her to let out a sarcastic chuckle. Only then did her mother turn around and Piper saw that she was on the phone yet again. All she got was a simple glance, blue eyes following her form as she walked past the bar and into the kitchen to look for a snack. Her mom was just murmuring into the phone about the woman who did her nails today and her atrocious attitude (and promiscuous outfit of course). She didn't even think about hanging up to converse with her daughter. Piper was not surprised by this, it had always been that way. Didn't mean it hurt any less though.

"Oh, how was your first day Piper?" Piper spoke quietly in a tone mocking her mothers.

"Fine mom, thanks for asking." She continued her mock conversation, whilst rummaging through the fridge. She decided on string cheese, an apple, and a bottle of water and closed the door.

Her mom didn't so much as look up as she walked back past her, deciding to just head straight upstairs and start on her homework. She had work later tonight and needed to budget her time carefully if she wanted to keep up her straight A streak that she had held for the entirety of high school thus far. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard her mother call out.

"Piper wait!" The young blonde jumped slightly, but turned to make eye contact with her mom across the open-concept home. For a moment she thought her mom was actually going to take interest in her life and ask about school.

"What mom?" She asked with an eye roll.

"Don't you use that tone with me. Is that what you wore to school today?" Piper almost let out a laugh. She knew the direction that this was going. She was honestly a bit disappointed in herself for believing it would be any different.

"Yesss…?" Piper exhaled a loud sigh.

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman those pants have more hole than jean. You're wearing a plain black T-shirt that is wrinkled beyond comprehension…" The younger woman rolled her eyes again. Her pants had three holes tops and her shirt was maybe wrinkled in one place. "And what the hell are those monstrosities on your feet?!"

"They're Dr. Martens mom. And the rest of my outfit is perfectly fine. The only person who has given it a second thought is you. You didn't even notice this morning."

"Well excuse me, I was rather busy this morning." _Oh yeah, it takes a lot of energy and time to bash the paint color of a neighbors house to a fellow bitchy housewife on the phone._ "And I am absolutely certain I would never buy you boots like that so where did you get them?"

"I bought them myself. With my own money. You know how I've been gone most of the summer because I have a job….or have you even noticed?"

"Do not speak to me that wa-"

"Whatever mom, speaking of which I have homework to do before my shift starts tonight so I gotta go upstairs. I'm sorry you don't like the outfit but I do so…" Piper decided it was best to leave the sentence at that and headed upstairs quickly. Her homework was nothing too intense as it was only the first day. She worked through it quickly, eating her snack in the process, and then started getting dressed for work at. It was 5:30 and her shift started at 6:00. She threw on her black button up, white and black plaid pants, slipped back into her Docs, and grabbed her half apron. She opted to throw her hair in a messy bun before heading downstairs and out the door. She threw her stuff into her car and then climbed in herself. Luckily her workplace was only a 10 or 15 minute drive down the road. Plus her boss was amazing, so she wouldn't make a big deal if she a bit late anyway. She pulled up and quickly dashed in side, grabbing her apron out of the passenger seat.

"Hey Red!" She called out as she burst through the doors.

"Good evening Chapman." The russian woman responded, coming out from the kitchen. She came up to the counter and rested her arms there. Piper stood in front of her on the opposite side of the counter, tying her apron around her waist. "How was your first day as a senior, eh?"

"It was alright, thanks for asking, ma." The 'ma' thing was a recent development. In fact, at the beginning of the summer, Red wasn't sure if she was going to like Piper. However, they had bonded fairly quickly and she learned the blonde was not who she appeared to be. One late night Piper had been particularly upset and opened up to Red about her family struggles. From then on, the older woman had told her that she considered her a daughter and offered for her to call her mom (she had informed Piper that she always wanted a daughter but instead conceived three boys).

"Ah, конфетка...I take it your mother didn't ask."

"Nope. Not a whole lot of interest in me, except to critique my outfit. As usual."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Anything interesting happen that you need to spill. Your second mom loves to listen." The redhead said with a wink.

"Nothing too profound. I think I'm finally ditching my friend group though. I actually sat with this girl named Nicky and a few of her friends joined after a while. We've been in the same grade ever since I skipped Freshman year but I've never really talked to her. She was really nice though. A little crass, but fucking hilarious."

"Well that's good then. It was about time you ditch those суки. Anything else? How were your classes? Any cute boys?"

"I don't know what that word meant but I'm assuming it's an insult." Red nodded in confirmation, her eyes prompting the blonde to continue. "Nothing too interesting class-wise. All my teachers seem alright. No cute boys. There was however this girl...I have never seen her before. I'm hoping she's new otherwise I fear I adopted my mother's narcissistic tendencies."

"Ahhh so you like her?" Another talk she and Red had had late at night was about Piper's discovery that she liked girls. She wasn't exactly sure how to label herself but she knew for certain that 'straight' wasn't it. She remembered how happy she felt to finally have someone to tell who would love and accept her no matter what. She felt so free with Red.

"What no. I mean, I don't even know her. I saw her twice today. Once in AP English and once in the Cafeteria for like half a second. I thought about inviting her to joining Nicky and I but she disappeared before I could even approach her."

"Well I'm sure you'll see her again. Anyway, feel free to tell me more about your day but get your жопа behind the counter and work while you do it, eh?"

"You got it, Red." Piper said with a smile, hopping over the counter.

Piper was currently wiping off the tables as a group had just left and it was nearing closing time. The restaurant closed at midnight and it was currently 11:20. It had been fairly busy for a Wednesday, but the last big group had just cleared out. She was hoping they were the last of the night as she was exhausted and had to get up early tomorrow for school. She finished wiping the tables and moved on to the barstools. She made quick work of wiping them clean and then jumped over the counter (with as much grace as her long lanky body could manage) to clean it from the other side. Just as she turned around though, she found striking green eyes scanning her body.

"That was quite the move, kid." Piper couldn't help but let out a slight gasp, and subsequently blushed. It was the girl from the cafeteria, still in the same outfit and everything. The brunette took a seat at the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to anyone who has left reviews! I'm open to any criticism and suggestions you have as far as the direction you'd like this fic to go in. This Chapter is pretty short, but I was just trying to pick another good place to cut off. In what I have written so far, this fic gets a little angsty pretty quick, so please let me know how you'd feel about that. What subjects would you like or not like me to touch on concerning mentions of potential physical and/or emotional abuse, EDs, other psychological disorders, etc...? I tend to gravitate towards a slightly broken Piper when writing, but I can take it in a different direction if you'd like. I'll try to get a longer update up soon. I actually read over most of this section and made some minor changes, but I apologize if there are any mistakes that I may have missed. Hope you enjoy!

"Ahaha. Right, thanks." She said and placed her hand on her forehead. Of course the gorgeous girl that had been on her mind all afternoon and evening just happened to come into this very diner. Not only that, but she had undoubtedly seen all of Piper's rather unsmooth maneuver over the counter.

"I'm just messing with you…" Piper saw her green eyes fall to her chest and was a bit taken aback for a moment. "Piper." _Oh, right of course she was looking at my nametag._

"Yeah, of course. Uhhh, can I get you anything….?"

"You guys have milkshakes?" The brunette questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Shit. I mean, sorry. I should have grabbed you a menu. But yeah...we've got vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter, coffee, caramel, banana-"

"I'll stop you there, kid. Vanilla would be great."

"Seriously?! That was the first one I said!" Piper said, exasperated.

"Sorry, I just couldn't stop you. You're cute when you ramble, kid."

"Gee thanks." The blonde responded with a sarcastic tone, trying to ignore the mild heat rising in her cheeks. "...And I'm not a kid. We're like the same age." She continued speaking before the mysterious girl could offer up an argument. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get that milkshake for you." She quickly mixed up a vanilla shake, added whipped cream, and plopped a cherry on top. She also stuck in a striped straw, leaving a paper cap on the tip.

"Thank you." The blonde watched as long, delicate fingers grasped the vintage style milkshake glass, the others lifting the paper off the end of the straw. She couldn't help but stare as plump red lips closed around the straw.

"So how long have you been going to Greenwich Academy?" Piper spoke up, finally coming out of her trance.

"I'm sorry? I don't remember mentioning that." For the first time since she walked in, the brunette looked a bit flustered.

"Right, sorry. Uh, we actually have AP English together. Plus I saw you in the cafeteria today. I was going to invite you to join me and my new friend Nicky but you disappeared before I could."

"Oh, well that's nice of you. My mom and I just moved here...so first year at Greenwich. I actually ended up eating lunch all alone in the library today." She shrugged and gripped the straw between her pointer and middle fingers before taking another sip.

"Gotcha. I've lived here all my life but I skipped freshman year so the 'new kid' memories are still fresh in my mind. I found a group of friends when I first jumped grades but they were all pretty fake and shallow...the type of people my parents would want me to be friends with. I sort of parted ways with them at the end of the last school year because... of various reasons. So I just officially met Nicky and her group today but she's pretty chill. You're welcome to join us for lunch tomorrow."

"I'd like that. And of course you skipped a grade. You seem like a real smarty pants."

"Thank you, I think?"

"I'm surprised I didn't notice you in the cafeteria or English today. I thought I was a pretty observant person but apparently not."

"You probably saw me but just don't remember."

"Nah, kid. I'd remember a face like yours." She said with a wink, continuing to down her milkshake.

"Anyway, you never told me your name." Piper changed the subject, unsure how to react to the compliments being casually tossed her way. This girl was ridiculously attractive and suave.

"My name is Alex."

"Well it's nice to officially meet you Alex. How is that milkshake treating you?"

"It's great, thanks." The brunette was surprisingly almost halfway done with the shake.

"Yeah of course, anything else I can do for you?" Piper asked, leaning her elbows on the counter. Maybe she could suss out if Alex was into her or just a flirty straight girl.

"Nothing food related." A slight smirk spread across her face. _Oh come on, she can't be straight. That was a blatant innuendo._ "Besides it's gotta be close to midnight now. I don't wanna keep you past your closing time. I'm sure you're ready to go home." _Ah, gorgeous, funny and considerate._

"Right, yeah. But I gotta finish cleaning anyway so you're fine to stay and finish your shake. It's kinda nice to have some company." Only then did Piper realize she actually did have company because Red was still there. She must have noticed Piper chatting away with this girl and stayed in the kitchen.

The blonde quickly wiped off the counter space to either side of Alex and then walked to the supply closet to get the broom and dustpan as well as the swiffer mop. She again crossed to the other side of the counter, however this time she lifted the section to walk through rather than hopping. She didn't want to risk any further embarrassment in front of Alex. As she was sweeping around all of the tables, Alex would chime in with a random comment here and there. She managed to complete her task rather quickly, although not as thoroughly as she would have done on a summer night (working on school nights was going to take some getting used to). Once she had made her way around all of the booths and open tables and swept around the bar.

"Nice boots, kid." Alex said, nodding to Piper's Docs.

"Thanks." Only then did Piper realize Alex was also wearing a pair of Docs and she let out a chuckle.

"So uhhh I'm just about done with this shake..." Alex picked up the glass and tipped the remainder of the shake into her mouth, including the cherry that had slowly made its' way to the bottom as she drank. Piper watched as she chewed a bit and then swallowed. The blonde was mildly concerned that she had just eaten the cherry; stem and all. However, a few seconds later she had pulled it out of her mouth. It was tied in a tiny knot now _._ "..but this was fun." Alex continued her sentence as if nothing had happened, dropping the stem back into her glass disinterestedly. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course." At this point Piper was a bit flustered. She couldn't keep her mind from wandering after seeing Alex's handy work on that cherry stem. _Pull yourself together, Piper._ "That is if you actually _see_ me this time." The blonde attempted a wink. She wasn't nearly as smooth as Alex had proved to be, but it got the point across.

"Very funny." The brunette dropped 5 bucks on the bartop, hopped off of her stool and made her way past Piper. "Night, Pipes." She threw one last glance over her shoulder before heading out the door. The blonde watched out of the window as she climbed onto a motorcycle and sped out of the Diner's small parking lot.

"Well that was certainly something." The harsh Russian accent that came from close behind her caused Piper to jump. She hadn't even heard Red come out of the kitchen, let alone approach her. She was right though. _That was '_ something _' indeed._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Alright! Ive taken the current reviews into consideration and plan to sort of stick to the middle-ground. I want to write something that almost anyone can enjoy and hopefully won't find triggering, but I also want to stay true to how I view Piper in this particular scenario. Piper has been broken down by those around her throughout her entire life thus far. She has reached a breaking point and has decided to just try making herself happy for once, instead of trying so hard to make others happy. (I find it interesting that many of you are viewing Piper as this confident person, because that is who she is _trying_ to be on the outside). However, it takes time to alter your own thought process, so she is still struggling internally. Because of this, there will be light mentions of verbal abuse/bullying from Piper's family and some of the kids at school. I want to capture the way that she would be feeling about herself and her body after years of being heavily criticized. I plan to write a little bit about Piper's unhealthy attitudes toward herself and food. _However,_ this story is going to be recovery focused. The drama between Alex and Piper will be very minimal. Alex will act as the catalyst for Piper's growth, exploration, and self-acceptance. I will also be including a trigger warning at some point if I mention anything that I think could be potentially distressing. This chapter is _very_ short, so I apologize.

The following morning, Piper was a bundle of excitement and nerves. She had really enjoyed her time with Alex and felt they could really have a nice relationship. She wasn't sure if Alex was gay, but she figured either way they could at least be friends. Piper was essentially desperate for anyone to hang out with both at and outside of school. She needed an escape from her family.

As soon as she woke up, she headed to her closet. After looking through her tops multiple times she decided on a short sleeve burnt orange blouse that crossed in the front and was fairly low cut. The V-neck highlighted her neck and collarbones beautifully and exposed the light curve at the top of her small breasts. She picked out a high-waisted pair of black skinny jeans with a few minor rips and cuffed the bottoms before adding socks and her Docs again. Her hair still held a light wave from yesterday so she just teased it a bit for extra volume. She did her makeup naturally again, but went the slightest bit heavier on the eyes to make her baby blues pop. She looked and felt pretty good. She gathered her things and headed downstairs. When she realized she'd have to pass her mother who was in the living room to get to the kitchen, she decided she could skip breakfast. _It's probably for the best, anyway_.

When Piper arrived at school, she was slightly less optimistic. The realization that she would have to wait most of the day to see Alex had just hit her. Sitting through AP History, Literature, Speech, and AP Calculus was going to be torture.

Today, every class seemed to drag on forever. Piper wasn't like other people her age. Normally she actually liked school. The people and the general environment weren't all that great, but she just loved to learn. However, when class was all that stood between her and her newly found crush, she started to develop a hatred for it. After making it through her morning courses successfully and listening to a good portion of what her teachers said, it was finally time for lunch.

Piper practically sprinted out of the door and to the cafeteria. She grabbed a salad and water just like yesterday, but this time she headed straight to Nicky. She set down her food and straddled a stool diagonal to Nicky.

"Hey blondie." Nicky looked up from her tray with a smirk on her face. "Lookin' hot today. What's the occasion?"

"Hi Nichols." The blonde looked around distractedly. She was determined to find Alex and get her to sit at her table during today's lunch. Then she saw her. _Fuck, she looks incredible._ Today she was in yet another band t-shirt. Her hair was down and had a light curl to it. She wore a pair of grey jeans that hugged her curves deliciously, and also had her same pair of Docs on. She had just gotten through the lunch line and appeared to be looking for someone. Eventually, her gaze reached over and met with Piper's blue eyes causing her face to light up with a smile.

"Ah, so _she's_ the occasion. Damn Chapman, you don't mess around."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper turned back around to question Nicky as Alex made her way to the table.

"Nothing. It's just she's like a solid 12 out of 10."

"Shhh. I don't even know if she's gay yet. And even if she is she probably wouldn't be into me."

"Of course she'd like you Chapman. You're a solid 12 too." Nicky winked and Piper blushed. It felt really good to have someone actually say something good about her body, she didn't even care that Nicky was technically kind of objectifying her. "And she's definitely gay." Nicky added, staring down at her tray. Piper simply shrugged.

"Who's gay?" _Uh oh._ That voice couldn't be anyone other than the one and only Alex. She sat down directly across from Piper, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Uh- I-" The blonde stuttered out, not sure where to go with this.

"You." Nicky stated bluntly. Piper blushed furiously but also couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. The redhead was not afraid to say what was on her mind.

"Oh..well yeah. I thought you kind of got that, kid." Alex smirked, adjusting her glasses.

"Right, of course. Honestly I didn't know if you were really flirting with me because you're gay or if you were just a tease."

"Well both I guess. Gay and a tease. I have a bad habit of teasing straight girls… I can stop though if it makes you uncomfortable." _Oh how the tables have turned._ Piper had just assumed that Alex thought she was gay. She now realized that was stupid, no one in her life suspected she was into women.

"Chapman is not straight." The blonde nearly spit out the sip of water she had just taken.

"Well jesus, Nicky." She laughed.

"Good to know." Alex replied.

"So, you're telling me we have a full table of lesbians..?" Piper inquired as Tricia, Boo and Lorna took their seats at the table.

"Hell yeah!" Said Boo.

"Uh, I am not a lesbian." Lorna spoke up in her strong accent.

"Right…" Trisha spoke up with a laugh.

"Really..? You were singing a different tune last night." Nicky winked and stuck out her tongue, flicking it. The whole table burst into laughter at this gesture...except for Lorna whose face had taken on a shade of red not unlike that of her lipstick.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Well, hello there. It's been a minute but here I am once again. I really want to do my best to continue this story, it just may take some time. I really appreciate all of the reviews and follows I have recieved as they are about the only thing keeping me motivated at the moment. Anywayy, I didn't take too much care in reading over this and I'm out of my groove so I'm hoping this flows well with what I've published thus far. I hope you enjoy._

 _Lunch_ went really well. Piper learned a bit more about Alex: She was 17 (as the blonde had suspected), had a single mother who worked her ass off, and loved reading and classic rock. The younger girl was excited that she had English with Alex so she wouldn't have to say goodbye just yet.

"Wanna walk to English together?"

"Sure." Piper said with a smile. "I gotta go by my locker first, though."

"Alright. I'll come with you, I already have what I need." Alex was carrying a notebook, and a pencil.

Both girls stood from the table and threw away what remained of their lunch before heading to the senior hallway. The blonde went straight to her locker and quickly put in the code, pulling it open. She grabbed her novel, a notebook, her planner, and her pencil pouch. "Alright, I think that's all I need."

"Sweet. And now I know where your locker is."

"Yeah. Where is yours? I never see you over here."

"Ah, mine is actually just over there." The brunette pointed to the first locker section down from Piper's. "I don't really use it though, I just carry around a notebook and pencil."

"Right, I just always like to have my books in case I need them." Piper said with a blush. She would admit she was a bit too particular about certain things. It made her nervous to go into classes unprepared.

"I get by without them." Alex replied with a shrug.

"Anyway, let's head to class. Don't want to be late."

"Well of course not. That would be disastrous." The blonde landed a light slap on the other girls arm though she knew she was just teasing.

When they walked into the room there were only a few students already there, so they had their choice of seats. The blonde chose a seat near the middle like yesterday but this time motioned for Alex to sit next to her. The brunette smiled and took the place next to her. The class slowly filled in and Piper couldn't help but turn her gaze back to Alex every so often, hoping she didn't notice.

One of the last people to file in was none other than Jessica Wedge. The only seat left was right at the front in the same row as Piper. Most of the students eyes tracked her as she walked right past the open desk. Instead, she made her way over to Alex.

"Give me your seat." She spoke up.

"Um, no." Alex replied in a relaxed manner.

"I _said_ give me your seat."

"Yeah I heard you."

"Fuck off Jessica." Piper spoke up, causing a chorus of 'ooohs' to rise from a few students. The blonde watched as Alex's eyebrows raised. She probably hadn't expected her to stick up for her like that. The teacher walked in then. Piper let out a small sigh at the fact that her teacher had just narrowly missed her comment.

"Ms. Wedge please take a seat."

"I don't want to sit in the front." Sher stated with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.

"Well it appears that is your only option."

"Sorry about that." Alex said sarcastically.

"Bye, Jess." Piper said quietly and directed a small wave in Jessica's direction.

"Fucking dykes." Jessica whispered under her breath.

"I'm sorry what was that?" The teacher glared at her from the front of the classroom.

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

Alex looked over at the blonde with a smirk, and expected to see one in return. She was surprised when she found Piper looking straight ahead with a distant look on her face. She didn't seem at all amused by what just happened. _Hm._ The brunette redirected her attention to the teacher and made a mental note to talk to Piper about it later.

"Alright, I assume you all read the chapters that I assigned yesterday?" The teacher questioned, earning a few nods and groans from around the room. "Today we are going to discuss a little bit about the author as well as the characters who have been introduced thus far."

English went by fairly fast. Piper was honestly just ready for the day to be over. Her and Alex's encounter with Jessica Wedge had put her in a bit of a sour mood. It only took two words for her to feel as if she had been transported back to the sad, insecure person she had been for the past two years. Now she couldn't get out of her own head. She was desperate to get out of school, Unfortunately, the thought of returning home wasn't exactly comforting either. At least she was working again tonight. Suddenly, the bell rang and Piper jumped a bit as she was brought back to reality. _Shit, hopefully the teacher hadn't said anything too important._ The blonde stood quickly and headed to the door.

"Piper, wait." Alex grabbed her arm.

"What?" The blonde said with a bit more sadness in her voice than she had meant to let out.

"You working tonight?"

"Yeah. 6:00 to 12:00 again."

"Alright. Is it okay if I come see you?"

"I can't see why not." Piper shrugged, trying to let herself smile a bit. She really did like Alex. And earlier today she would have practically jumped with joy at this proposition. Now though, Jessica had gotten into her head and she just felt self-conscious and sad again. Hopefully some time with Alex would change that.

"Uh cool. See you later then, Pipes."

"Yeah, I'll see you." The blonde blushed a bit at the nickname. She wasn't sure if Alex had even realized that she had called her this both today and the previous night, so she decided to let it slide. She continued out of the classroom to her locker and then headed to Study Hall. Her last two periods went by quickly. She managed to finish the majority of her homework in study hall and actually enjoyed the lecture given in AP Chem. The second the bell rang, Piper was out of her seat and headed to her locker for the last time today. What she didn't expect was to see a gorgeous, tall brunette leaned up against it. Alex was simply stood there with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Well hello there…" Piper smiled.

"Hey," The brunette's smirk transformed into a full on smile as Piper approached her. "I know I said I'd stop by the diner tonight, but I couldn't resist seeing you one last time before then. Plus, you made the mistake of showing me your locker so..." Alex pushed off of the wall and moved out of the other woman's way.

"Ah, so now you're just going to stalk me, eh?" Piper joked. Alex was pleased to see a smile back on her face, albeit not as genuine as those she had seen previously. The blonde got into her locker and began sliding books into her backpack.

"Looks like it." Alex responded before becoming serious. "Are you alright, Piper?" She shut her locker and turned around. Alex wasn't sure she would ever get used to looking into those striking blue eyes.

"Yeah, of course."

"Right…" Alex said disbelievingly. "You don't have to lie to me you know, I could tell you were upset in English."

"I'm fine, really." The blonde tried to walk past her.

"Piper, seriously." She reached out and grabbed her hand, not letting her blow her off.

"Alright." Piper sighed. "I swear we'll talk tonight. But I have to go home and finish my homework before my shift starts."

"You'll _really_ talk to me tonight, though?" Piper's heart warmed at the genuine concern she found in those beautiful green eyes.

"Tonight." She confirmed, squeezing the brunette's hand before slowly letting it go and making her way to the parking lot. She got into her car and let out a long sigh. She had agreed to talk to Alex, and she wanted to. But what exactly was she going to tell her? She decided to drive around a bit rather than going straight home. She needed some alone time to think.


End file.
